THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SBIR IS TO DEVELOP MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC FOR PROSTATE CARCINOMA ANTIGENS.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SBIR IS TO DEVELOP MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC FOR PROSTATE CARCINOMA ANTIGENS. THESE ANTIBODIES WOULD BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE III: 1.) AS A SCREENING TEST FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF PROSTATE CANCER BY IDENTIFYING PROSTATE TUMOR ANTIGENS SHED INTO THE SERUM, 2.) IN IMAGING AND THERAPY OF METASTATIC PROSTATE TUMORS AND 3.) IN IDENTIFYING MALIGNANT CELLS IN BIOPSY SPECIMENS AS PROSTATIC IN ORIGIN. PHASE I IS TO ESTABLISH AND CHARACTERIZE IN VITRO CELL LINES OF HUMAN PROSTATE CANCER FROM BIOPSY SPECIMENS. THESE EARLY PASSAGE CELLS WILL BE USED IN PHASE II AS IMMUNOGENS IN THE PRODUCTION OF HYBRIDOMAS. AS SERUM HAS BEEN SHOWN TO STIMULATE FIBROBLASTIC GROWTH, VARIOUS HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, NUTRIENTS, AND TRACE ELEMENTS WILL BE EXAMINED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR THE SERUM SUPPLEMENT. GROWTH CONDITIONS WILL BE EXAMINED THAT SUPPORT THE ACTIVE PROLIFERATION OF EPITHELIAL CELLS, PREVENT THE DETERIORATION OF TUMOR CELLS, AND SUPPRESS THE GROWTH OF FIBROBLASTS. MATRICES TO BE EXAMINED INCLUDE: RAT TAIL COLLAGEN, HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, AND STRIPS OF COLLAGEN GELS. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CELL LINES WILL BE BY KARYOLOGY, ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, GROWTH IN SEMISOLID AGAR AND NUDE MICE, HISTOLOGY, PRODUCTION OF PROSTATIC ACID PHOSPHATASE, AND REACTION WITH TWO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC FOR PROSTATIC ANTIGENS.